Choroid Plexus Enlargement Linked to Progressive MS Myo-Inositol Signal

Choroid Plexus Enlargement Linked to Progressive MS Myo-Inositol Signal

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint posted on medRxiv reported that larger choroid plexus volume on brain MRI was associated with greater disability in multiple sclerosis and with higher white-matter myo-inositol in progressive MS, but the work has not yet been peer reviewed. Key Findings 88-person imaging sample: Researchers studied 45 people with multiple sclerosis and 43 …

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Quetiapine Linked to Better Working Memory in Schizophrenia

Quetiapine Linked to Better Working Memory in Schizophrenia

TL;DR: A 2026 study in European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience linked sustained quetiapine treatment with better high-working-memory cognitive performance in schizophrenia spectrum disorder, but the genetic tests did not support the proposed remyelination-moderation mechanism. Key Findings 166 matched pairs: The extended PsyCourse analysis included 166 quetiapine-treated schizophrenia-spectrum patients and 166 age- and sex-matched …

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Glucose Signaling via ACLY Shaped Myelin-Forming Cell Development

Glucose Signaling via ACLY Shaped Myelin-Forming Cell Development

TL;DR: A 2026 mouse study in Nature Neuroscience found that glucose signaling through ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), an enzyme that links sugar metabolism to gene regulation, helped oligodendrocyte progenitor cells multiply before they matured into myelin-forming cells. Key Findings Glucose mapped onto cell state: Developing mouse-brain regions with higher glucose had more proliferating oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, …

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Blood Inflammation Linked to Brain White-Matter Microstructure

Blood Inflammation Linked to Brain White-Matter Microstructure

TL;DR: A 2026 medRxiv preprint linked higher blood inflammatory markers with diffusion MRI signs of altered white-matter microstructure in 457 dementia-free middle-aged and older adults, especially for a combined cytokine score and orientation dispersion index. Key Findings 457 dementia-free participants: The cross-sectional study examined adults with a mean age of 63.82 years and used blood …

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Chronic Pain With Depression Had a Distinct Brain Structure Profile

Chronic Pain With Depression Had a Distinct Brain Structure Profile

TL;DR: A 2026 preprint UK Biobank neuroimaging study in medRxiv found that the comorbidity group showed widespread lower cortical volume, subcortical differences, and white matter microstructure alterations, while several alterations appeared unique to the chronic pain-depression comorbidity group. Key Findings Evidence map: a cross-sectional neuroimaging analysis comparing comorbid chronic pain and depression with pain-only, depression-only, …

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Age-Related Brain Volume Changes in Men & Women (2024 MRI Study)

Normal aging leads to a decrease in brain volume, with gray and white matter shrinking and cerebrospinal fluid increasing, as measured by synthetic MRI. Highlights: Study Sample: 300 healthy adults (141 males, median age 48; 159 females, median age 50) were analyzed using synthetic MRI. Brain Volume Trends: Brain parenchymal volume (nBPV) decreases steadily with …

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) & White Matter Microstructure Changes in the Brain (2024 Study)

TLDR: Patients with noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) exhibit significant changes in the white matter (WM) microstructure of their brains, particularly affecting the auditory and language pathways. Highlights: A study compared 122 patients with varying degrees of NIHL and 84 healthy controls. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) revealed significant differences in the white matter microstructure, particularly in …

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Neurobiological Correlates of Human Intelligence (IQ): Genetics, Brain Regions, Cellular Structures

Human intelligence is a complex cognitive trait that has fascinated scientists and philosophers for centuries. New research is shedding light on the neurobiological underpinnings of intelligence, from genes to cells to brain networks. Key Facts: Intelligence is one of the most heritable human behavioral traits, with genetics explaining 50-80% of variability between individuals. Over 1000 …

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Neuroscience of Narcissism: Brain Patterns of Inflated Ego & Empathy Deficits

Narcissism is characterized by self-importance, entitlement, and interpersonal difficulties. Neuroscience research has begun to uncover the complex mechanisms underlying the paradoxical patterns of narcissistic functioning. Key findings show: Narcissism involves heightened vigilance and stress reactivity to ego threats despite outward grandiosity Alterations in brain regions involved in self-vs-other processing may underlie narcissistic self-focus and empathy …

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Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) & Brain Imaging: White Matter Abnormalities

A new brain imaging study has uncovered structural differences in the white matter of young men diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). These differences provide clues into the neural correlates underlying the grandiose sense of self and lack of empathy that characterize NPD. Key Facts: Researchers used diffusion tensor imaging to compare white matter microstructure …

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